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EP-4334796-B1 - VIDEO PROCESSING APPARATUS

EP4334796B1EP 4334796 B1EP4334796 B1EP 4334796B1EP-4334796-B1

Inventors

  • UBBESEN, Line
  • WEI, Chin-Tuan

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20220502

Claims (9)

  1. A medical video processing system (50) comprising: a video processing apparatus (VPA) (100) including: a housing (110) having a top wall (130) spaced apart from a bottom wall (132), the top wall (130) having a top wall periphery (120), a top surface (140) extending to the top wall periphery (120), and a central area (160) within the top wall periphery (120); an input port adapted (126) to receive video input signals from a videoscope (1); an output connector (159) adapted to transmit video output signals corresponding to the video input signals for presentation with a display module (20); and a bracket interface (150) supported by the housing (110) and adapted to support a support bracket (30, 300) including a first retention feature (317), the bracket interface (150) located within the central area (160) of the top wall (130) and comprising a bracket base receptacle (154) and a second retention feature (157), the bracket base receptacle (154) sized and shaped to receive a base end (300A) of the support bracket (30, 300), and the second retention feature (157) sized and shaped to cooperate with the first retention feature (317) to removably retain the base end of the support bracket, characterized in that , the bracket interface defines a bracket interface periphery (152) in the top surface, that the bracket interface periphery is elevated relative to the top wall periphery, and that the top surface extends convexly between the bracket interface periphery and the top wall periphery.
  2. The medical video processing system of claim 1, wherein the top surface extends in a continuous manner from the bracket interface periphery to the top wall periphery.
  3. The medical video processing system of any of the preceding claims, further comprising the support bracket (30, 300) including an arm (400), wherein the base end (300A) includes a swivel assembly (304) operable to rotate the arm (400) about a first axis.
  4. The medical video processing system of claim 3, wherein the support bracket (30, 300) comprises the base end (300A) opposite a display end (300B), wherein the arm (400) extends between the base end (300A) and the display end (300B), wherein the display end (300B) includes a first pivot assembly (500) adapted to rotate a display module (20) about a second axis different than the first axis.
  5. The medical video processing system of claim 4, wherein the base end (300A) includes a second pivot assembly (305) operable to rotate the arm (400) about a third axis parallel to the second axis.
  6. The medical video processing system of any one of claims 4 or 5, wherein the swivel assembly (304) comprises a swivel frame (320), a friction plate (330), and a pivot assembly support (340), the friction plate (330) positioned between the swivel frame (320) and the pivot assembly support (340).
  7. The medical video processing system of claim 6, wherein the friction plate (330) comprises a textured surface (332) configured to provide a predetermined amount of swivel resistance to the swivel assembly (304).
  8. The medical video processing system of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a display module (20) connected to the support bracket by the first pivot assembly (500).
  9. The medical video processing system of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a blank cover removably attachable to the bracket interface.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure relates to a video processing apparatus operable to output images obtained with a videoscope. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a portable video processing apparatus operable to receive image data from one or more videoscopes and output a video stream corresponding to the image data for presentation with a display module operably coupled to the video processing apparatus. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Medical videoscopes comprise endoscopes, colonoscopes, ear-nose-throat scopes, duodenoscopes, and any other medical device having an image sensor configured to obtain images of views of a patient. The term "patient" herein includes humans and animals. Portable medical monitors can be communicatively coupled to the medical videoscopes to receive image data therefrom and present images corresponding to the image data on a display module of the monitor. Traditional medical monitors comprise video processing circuits and a display module combined in a common housing. Such monitors offer many advantages and conveniences in many settings including in the field, emergency response vehicles and hospitals. Videoscopes are made for various procedures and may have different technical characteristics suited for the procedure they are designed to perform, based on the age of the device, or for other reasons. The technical characteristics, or technology, may comprise the type of image sensor included with the videoscope, whether the videoscope includes on-board data processing capabilities, and whether the videoscope includes additional sensors which provide information to the monitor, potentially including more than one image sensor. The type of image sensor may provide different capabilities, including various controls such as image inversion, image rotation, contrast, and exposure. Thusly, a medical monitor capable of adaptation to different videoscope technologies provides significant value. Examples of such medical monitors are described in commonly owned U.S. Patent Nos. 10,835,106 and 10,980,397. An endoscope is a type of a videoscope. An endoscope described in commonly owned U.S. Patent Application No. 2019/0223694 has an insertion tube with an internal working channel and a connector at the handle adapted for the attachment of a syringe. A recess is adapted to accommodate a cylindrical body of the syringe when the syringe is attached to the connector. The endoscope is adapted to perform bronchoalveolar lavage, a procedure for obtaining samples, through the working channel, of organic material from a lung segment of a patient. Commonly owned U.S. Patent No. 10,321,804 describes an articulated tip of an endoscope. Commonly owned U.S. Patent No. 9,220,400 describes a camera housing arranged at the distal end of the insertion tube. The camera housing is molded and contains an image sensor and a light source, e.g. LED, embedded in the material of the camera housing. The foregoing application and patents describe technical characteristics of respective videoscopes described therein and are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, portable medical monitors with display modules integrated with the medical monitors, as described in commonly owned U.S. Patent Nos. 10,835,106 and 10,980,397, may have video outputs to present the image data, or video stream, on the communicatively coupled display modules in addition to the presentation with the integrated display module. Upgrading the display module integrated with the medical monitor might not be technically or economically feasible. Patent documents CN 209821 741 U and KR 200 442 623 Y1 disclose devices with the features of the preamble of claim 1. Based on the foregoing it is evident that a need exists for an economical apparatus operable with a variety of videoscopes and videoscope technologies in a variety of settings that can also be provided with various display modules. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to a video processing system including a video processing apparatus and a bracket operable to support a display module. The present disclosure provides solutions which at least improve the solutions of the prior art. The present disclosure provides a video processing apparatus (VPA) for use in a medical environment in which fluids may fall on the VPA. The present disclosure provides a VPA that can be connected to different display modules and can support the display modules in a variety of positions. The invention is defined in claim 1. In some embodiments, the top surface extends in a continuous manner from the bracket interface periphery to the top wall periphery. In some embodiments, the system comprises the support bracket, including an arm, wherein the base end includes a swivel assembly operable to rotate the arm in a first dimension. The first dimension may be about a first axis of the swivel assembly. In some embodiments, the support bracket comprises the base end opposite a